If you’re like me, you have more than just classes to go to, more than homework assignments or textbooks to read. Besides your full-time class schedule, you have a job, maybe two, and maybe you have the added responsibility of a family too. Maybe you have to take care of grandma or watch your little sister, or maybe you’re a parent. For those of us who have very full schedules, here’s a few thoughts and ideas on managing the time we have so that you don’t fall behind, and so you can keep your sanity.

The first thing you should do when you have a lot on your plate is to separate the tasks, just like the different squares of food in a meal. Keep your work responsibilities separate from your family and school, if possible. Mixing flavors can be great at times, but sometimes it can lead to a confusing and stressful pile of goo.

Once you’ve separated your tasks, you must prioritize. Which takes the top? School? Work? You have to decide. Once you’ve created your list of priorities, you must create a schedule.

Keeping a schedule of events and activities is a good way to get what you need to get done, done. One of the pitfalls many of us fall into is that we rarely set a time and date to do things. This is true not just with our work but our play, too. Always wanted to take a road trip? Well, if you never set a real date, a real deadline, nothing’s going to happen. You’ll do the essay later? When? Set a date for your work, and then get it done. That doesn’t mean last minute stuff, though, things happen and sometimes we just can’t predict when Shakey the cat is going to curl over and die, the same is true for grandma.

Once your schedule is set up, once you’ve given yourself predetermined time slots to get different types of work done, you have to do it, which can be the most difficult part. I tend to lose focus because I often feel overwhelmed at all I need to do. Read for Tuesday and Wednesday, write the assignments, work on the post, don’t forget the forms for work, remember to call the bank because they screwed up your transaction, grade a stack of papers because you’re a teacher’s assistant, and don’t forget to call about that party you were invited to, but I forgot about it anyways, until just now.

Some of us may want to create a “To-do” list and if it works for you, then by all means but not everybody is the same. For me, these lists can lead to stress, especially when we’re crunching for time. Having a list of all the things we need to accomplish can add to the feeling of being over worked, I mean seriously, look at how long that list is. Use “to-do” lists if it works for you, and be sure to give yourself enough time on each task so that you don’t fall behind and get into “stress mode.”

Let’s talk about “stress mode,” or something one of my professors calls the “I suck spiral.” Don’t get into that negative mindset, don’t be a victim to your own mind. I know that sounds a little facetious but stress is of the mind. When you’re feeling sweaty, and shaky and mentally exhausted from the tornado of tasks, take a step back, take a short break. There are many things you can do to keep yourself going throughout the semester. Once you’ve cooled down a bit, step back into it and you must focus only at the task, make everything else secondary.

If it’s four in the freaking afternoon and your calendar you set up says you have to write that essay at four, then you get to the nearest typing device, fire up some form of word word processor and get to work on the greatest damned essay your balding English professor’s beady little eyeballs has ever seen.

A brief note on environment. Make sure to surround yourself with things that aren’t distracting if possible. When writing that essay, put yourself in a quiet place, or remove yourself from the luxuries of home. I’ve done some of my best work outside of my own room. If you want to be a little bit more hardcore about it, you can leave your computer at home and use your campus PCs so you won’t feel the urge to log into Facebook or listen to the new Lorde album. Doing work on a machine that isn’t yours removes a layer of comfort and can help you focus on what needs to be done. If you really want to put yourself into real life hard mode then leave the phone at home too. But seriously, who’s going to do that? My precious…

Whatever you do, whether you create a list of to-dos or make up your calendar and planner, the most important thing to take away is to tackle one thing at a time. Focus on just one thing at a time and concentrate on what needs to be done right then and there. Don’t overwhelm yourself by letting your mind fly wild. There’s only 24 hours in a day, but if we try hard enough, we can squeeze in everything we need to do in those 24 hours. And that’s it!